Taking down a wall - Who can I hire to assess the structure?

Question

Hi, I'm going to start a rehab project but would like to assess the structure in the kitchen to determine whether or not I can take down a wall.  I am not going to hire a GC to do the work.  I just need to hire someone to determine what walls could come down and if it would need any other structural changes.

Who do I call?  I have tried structural engineering companies that say they don't do residential and General Contractors who will only get involved if they do the work.

Anyone have any advice?

Ned Carey · Answer

@Scott Triemstra a structural engineer is who you want. There are Structural Engineers who do SFH work. Networking with other investors in your area will help. Also a licensed architect can provide drawings that can be used to get your permits. Possibly but not likely an architect could give you feed back for a fee without doing full renovation drawings. A good contractor should be able to do it but they will expect to be paid also. You have to pay them enough to make it worth their effort.

Perhaps an experienced rehabber in your area can help you. Again you should offer to pay. I don't know for sure but perhaps a home inspector would be wiling to give an opinion. If I had the same question I would be relying on my local network for an answer.

Even if the wall is load bearing, there are codes on what is needed to support the load if you take out the wall. We have removed load bearing walls to open up a floor plan. We relied on contractors who were familiar with and comfortable doing this kind of work.

I am not going to hire a GC to do the work.  I just need to hire someone to determine what walls could come downNow, here is the tough love part you may not want to hear. If you are not going to hire a GC then who is going to do the work? Are you going to do it yourself? Do you really want to be taking down a wall if you don't even know if it can come down?  Reading between the lines tells me, that you are not willing to spend the money that ought to be spent on this. There are issues to consider even if the wall is not load bearing. Does the wall have wiring, plumbing or HVAC that will need to be rerouted for example?

Raymond L Tennal Jr · Answer

I know the market is crazy busy.... it is a shame that these people are not willing to help.  You should be able to find a local structural engineer to help out.

Where is the project at?

I'm a structural engineer an love to help out people figure these issues out. Below is a general idea on how to identify bearing walls.  If you need further assistance, please reach out to me directly I might be able to help you out, depending where you are at.

The first thing I ask is "when was this home built"  Home built prior to say 1975 used stick built roof and often had interior bearing walls as these roof system have shorter span than trusses.  Younger home are often built with trusses and typical span from exterior wall to exterior wall, but not always the case.  Span for trusses can be as much as 30 ft, but most don't span more than 24ft.  Now if there is a floor above, interior walls could be bearing walls.  Floor joist and support spans between 12 to 18 feet.  You can span greater, but it is high unlikely.  So the question here is, what is the frame above the wall... if it runs parallel the wall is likely non-bearing, if perpendicular it is likely that it is bearing.  However, it also depends on what is going on above if it is a two story.  Another way to determine if it is a bearing wall is to see if there is a beam line in the crawlspace.  Slab on grade construction is not as easy to identify.

Evan Polaski · Answer

@Scott Triemstra, as noted call a structural engineer.  If this a residential property (in my area defined a 4 units or less), use google and search residential structural engineer and your city and state.  You will likely have 50 numbers pop up to start calling.

The quick and dirty way, to be confirmed by and engineer: look at the floor joists in the basement (assuming there is a basement).  Joists are almost always running in same direction with each floor up.  If the wall you want to remove is running parallel to the floor joists in that area, it is likely NOT load bearing.  If it runs perpendicular to joists, especially if it lines up with a support beam in basement, it is very likely load bearing.

If you don't have basement, or want to confirm another way.  Start pulling the drywall from the ceiling around wall.  It is going to get destroyed anyways, when the wall comes down.  If the joists at the top of the wall are running parallel, very likely not load bearing.

Scott Triemstra · Answer

Thanks for the help everyone.  I have used a structural engineer for a previous job so that sounds like what I should do for this one as well.  I mostly wanted to confirm what I was thinking and find out if GCs use structural engineers as well.

Dutch Langley · Answer

Every flip I have done has required taking down a load bearing wall or other structural modifications.  Even though we are a GC, I hire a structural engineer every single time and that letter gets uploaded into the permit system for the city/county inspectors.  Then when I sell the house I have documentation that it was done correctly.  Best $350 - $450 I ever spend on a flip.  I sleep better as well.

Michael Plante · Answer

I’m interested as well

Taking down a wall - Who can I hire to assess the structure?

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